


to breathe

by jia_yang



Series: discovered (violet/quigley) [2]
Category: A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV), A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-17 13:15:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17561117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jia_yang/pseuds/jia_yang
Summary: if violet had reached quigley at the top of the stairs, in grim grotto part one





	to breathe

**Author's Note:**

> can be read on its own or as part 2 of my series :)

“Violet? Klaus?” The words carried down a deep and cavernous staircase, but Violet would sooner mistake her own voice than fail to recognize Quigley Quagmire.

“Quigley?” yelled Klaus in disbelief.

“Quigley!” said Violet in relief. She started towards the staircase before her brother could even react, running up the spiral as fast as she could. “What are you doing here?”

“VFD sent me. I got the sugar bowl!” Quigley’s excited words barely registered in Violet’s mind as she climbed the stairs. Quigley continued, “I’ve learned so much! When you get up here, I’ll tell you everything.”

“Violet, look out!” Klaus exclaimed, as green fungus began to spread on the stair at Violet’s eye level.

“It’s the Medusoid Mycelium,” said Violet in horror.

“It’s waxing!” said Klaus. Violet shook herself from her stupor and continued up the stairs at a faster pace than before. “What are you doing?” asked Klaus in a panic.

“What’s going on?” shouted Quigley.

“I can reach the top,” Violet yelled down to her brother, watching the Medusoid Mycelium spread on the stairs below her boots. “I just have to not touch the fungus.”

“Violet, you have to come down. It’s not safe to breathe up there,” urged Klaus.

“I can’t now. The mushrooms have already waxed onto my descent. Klaus, take Sunny and go!” Violet looked up then, directing her gaze on Quigley, who, from her perspective, was rotating in an orbital spiral and growing larger and more into focus by the second. “Quigley, the mushrooms are dangerous. You have to get ready to shut the door if I don’t reach you before the fungus does.” Violet looked down again, focusing on her balance as she continued up the stairs in spite of the burning in her legs.

“Not in a thousand eras,” said Quigley, absolution in his voice. She looked up, realizing that she was close enough to hear him without him shouting. She was almost at the top of the stairs.

“Klaus, get Sunny to safety! Go!” she yelled one last time, hoping her siblings would escape safely. “Quigley, watch the fungus. Shut the door when you must!”

“No! Not without you,” Quigley insisted. “I’ll pull you up. Come on, Violet!”

She was ten steps from the top when Quigley grasped her extended arm. Seven steps when he pulled, and five steps when her feet lifted off the ground and she was pulled onto the platform above the stairs beside him. She hit the ground with a thud, the wind knocked out of her.

“The door,” she gasped, struggling to her feet. Quigley shut the door quickly, and just barely in the knick of time. He looked up at her, breathing fast. The alarm in his eyes was beginning to fade as he relaxed. They were okay.

“You should have listened to me,” Violet reprimanded. “The Medusoid Mycelium is fatally poisonous. Once it takes root into your throat you have less than an hour before you’re unable to breathe. It’s unspeakably dangerous.” As she spoke, Violet paced back and forth, hardly listening to herself as she struggled to take in her surroundings and gather her bearings. She worried about the fungus, about her siblings, about Count Olaf, about the sugar bowl. There was too much to think about.

“Violet.” Quigley exhaled in quiet amazement, too relieved to see his friend alive and safe to worry about the mushrooms. He grasped her shoulder, afraid to believe that he wasn’t alone anymore. Violet quieted from her anguished tirade to look at him, and, despite herself, she cracked a small smile. She was only inches from him and he could smell the salt in the air, ocean water still drying off her suit. 

“Funny how we’re safe from the fungus but I’m still having a bit of trouble breathing,” prodded Quigley lightly, watching Violet for her reaction. To his surprise, Violet found herself pulling Quigley in for a hug, nearly crushing him against her suit in the force of her excitement.

“It is so good to see you,” murmured Violet, slowly, emphasizing every word because the sentence didn’t seem strong enough to express the sentiment she felt in her heart. After a long moment, she let Quigley out of her grasp. His hands pulled away from her sides to brush the hair at the side of her face lightly. They settled on each side of her face and Quigley brought his chin down to rest his forehead on Violet’s. They both closed their eyes, full of emotion. Pained at their separation from each of their siblings, but relieved at having found each other. Bittersweet.

“I’d sooner suffocate than lose you again,” said Quigley. In spite of the intimacy and their proximity, he spoke loudly, more loudly than he had intended. He thought, perhaps, it was to prevent any waver in his voice, any false suggestion that he was unsure of this. True, he was scared of Olaf, and torn about the road that lay ahead, and there was far too much to think about. But this, he was sure of. He was always sure of her.

Violet racked her brain, searching for words that would convey the way she felt. _I’m glad you’re okay? I’m sorry we lost you? I’ve thought of you often?_ No, no, and no. She shook her head at herself, nearly imperceptibly, and bit her lip. She knew the word for how she felt, and it plagued her with fear. So she reached the next most logical conclusion.

Violet reached under Quigley’s face and pulled his chin towards her, meeting his lips with hers with no hesitation. Quigley was quick to reciprocate, gentle hands still on the sides of her face as he stepped a tiny bit closer, and tilted his head to the right, deepening the kiss.

When she pulled away she was breathless. She had moved back barely an inch, and he was close enough for her to see his eyes flutter open and watch her, half-lidded and dazed.

“Quigley, I…” she gasped against his lips. She cursed herself, still unable to say what she wanted to say. What needed to be said. He nodded, quickly. He gently pulled her head downwards a bit and kissed her forehead. When he spoke again it was barely a whisper.

“I know.”

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed! thank u for all your lovely comments on my last quiglet fic, i wish they'd had more scenes together but i hope this scratches your itch. pls leave a comment, i'd love to hear your thoughts!


End file.
